Director Claire Denis reduces the plot of BEAU TRAVAIL to its minimum, choosing to narrate the events in fragments through the reminisces of a disgraced former French legionnaire, Galoup (Denis Lavant) in Marseilles who has been accused of having had a hand in the mysterious disappearance of another French legionnaire when they were posted in Djibouti in North Africa. Exploring the themes of alienation, jealousy, repressed desires and masculine identity, the film critiques the emotional isolation and psychological toll faced by soldiers as they navigate the rigid, hierarchical world of the Foreign Legion in a foreign land.
Exquisitely shot, BEAU TRAVAIL (1999, France) by Claire Denis is a slow-burn of a film that slowly envelopes you by its mood and feel. It is streaming on MUBI.
Check out the trailer here:
Ranjan Das is a Mumbai based filmaker & faculty.
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